Whale Evolution Lesson and Activity: Evidence of Common Ancestry and Diversity

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Students will be introduced to the scientific phenomena of why whales are mammals and not fish in this fun and engaging activity! This activity is broken down into two parts. Supports science and ELA standards!

Part One – Whale Sorting Activity

Students begin the activity by drawing a picture of what they think whales may have looked like millions of years ago when they roamed the land. Next, students label the parts of a modern-day whale to later use as evidence of evolution. Students then use the labeled diagram to find evidence that whales are in fact marine mammals and not fish. Students then cut out pictures of six different whales throughout history and place them in order from oldest to youngest. Next, using the labeled diagram again, they find evidence of whales’ evolution using a checklist. Finally, students answer questions about whale evolution and try to figure out what the whale’s closest living relative is! This activity will take two to three class periods and is fully aligned with NGSS as described below.

Part Two – Evolutionary Relationships

For older students or for higher-achieving elementary students. Sketches ofhippo and whale skeletons are given. Students observe both skeletons before creating a list of similarities and differences and generate ideas of the habitats and behaviors of each species. Students then write an argument to the claim given. Students use evidence found throughout the lesson to support the claim that whales and hippos are descended from a common ancestor. Rubric included for easy grading!

Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) changes the paradigm of how science is taught. NGSS employs three dimensions when examining scientific phenomena; scientific practices, core ideas and crosscutting concepts. This lesson is aligned with NGSS and is designed with three distinct dimensions in place.

NGSS alignment for this activity –

3-LS4-1 – Analyze and interpret data from fossils to provide evidence of the organisms and the environments in which they lived long ago.

and

MS-LS4-1 – Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.

MS-LS4-2 – Apply scientific ideas to construct an explanation for the anatomical similarities and differences among modern organisms and between modern and fossil organisms to infer evolutionary relationships

Scientific Practice – Students will analyze and interpret data regarding the evolution of whales from a land animal to an animal that lives in the sea.

Core Idea – Evidence of common ancestry and diversity.

Cross Cutting Concepts – Scale, proportion and quantity, patterns

Let me take the work out of NGSS! Stop back soon to my growing store!